Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Sookti – March 28, 2020 – Mysore
Compiled by Parimala Eshwarla
Kokilānām svarō rūpam, nārī rūpaṃ satīvrataṃ
Vidyārūpaṃ kurūpāṇāṃ, kṣamārūpaṃ tapasvināṃ ǁ
The cuckoo’s beauty lies in its sweet voice. A woman’s beauty lies in her chastity. Knowledge gives real beauty to even ugly people. Endurance is the beauty of ascetics.
Among bird species, both crow and cuckoo are jet black. Both these birds, that are very commonly found, appear repulsive due to their ugliness. However, at the onset of spring, the cuckoo, with its rich hollow voice, sings melodiously captivating the hearts of the listeners while the crow continuous its harsh, raucous cackle. As such, the cuckoo’s beauty lies in its sweet voice.
Likewise, a woman’s inherent beauty lies not in her feminine appearance but in her chastity. A married woman obtains much respect in the society. She is treated as Goddess Lakshmi and worshipped. When the same woman turns immoral abandoning the vow of chastity, the same society ridicules and condemns her. As such, to a woman, her beauty lies not in her beautiful appearance but in her chastity.
God’s grace ensures that a person is blessed with beauty and handsomeness. There are some who are quite ugly by birth. Appearance, skin tone and beauty are genetically determined. Their journey of life is determined by their destiny. Chanakya, the widely renowned statesman and philosopher, whose wisdom won him great accolades, was actually ugly in appearance! Maharishi Ashtavakra, to whom even greatest saints look up and revere, was totally deformed. His name ‘Ashtavakra’ means deformed in 8 places. Understand therefore that physical beauty and handsomeness are not important. To the ugly person, knowledge is their beauty.
By and large, saints lead a life totally in contrast to the lives of the commoners. Living in solitude in deep forests, they spend a great deal of time in penance or meditation. They may or may not relish music, dance and other art forms. They may or may not appreciate the different branches of knowledge. This is because, having detached with the body and its needs, they are not inclined towards fulfilling its needs. Night and day they dedicate for their penance. Anger, feelings of ‘I-ness’ or mine-ness, envy and pride cannot even touch them. forgiveness is their true wealth!
The Puranas reveal to us many stories of saints who fell from their level because they succumbed to anger, to lust or due to hurling curses upon others. As such, to a saint, the quality of forgiveness is itself the real beauty!
Thus, this sookti teaches us about the different types of beauty.